In: Biology
What is the genetic code? What are the properties of the triplet codons? What does it mean that the code is redundant and what useful purpose does such redundancy serve?
The genetic code is a three-letter nitrogen base code. It specifies a single amino acid in the protein. The codon sequences in the messenger RNA determine the amino acid sequence in the polypeptide:
mRNA -----> Protein: Translation
Properties of the genetic code:
i. Triplet
ii. Non-overlapping
iii. Commaless
iv. Start codon = AUG
v. Stop codon = UGG, UGA, UAG
vi. The genetic code is redundant: More than one codon can specify a single amino acid. Ex: GGG, GGA, GGC, and GGU code for glycine
Due to the redundancy of the genetic codon, certain mutations can be tolerated (do not change the amino acid in the protein). For example, GGA to GGC mutation does not change the amino acid. Such mutations are known as synonymous mutations. The redundancy of the genetic code provides buffering capacity for few mutations.